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A short holiday on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
1 Comment »25th May, 2011; Category: Beaches, Birds, Holidays, Plants, South Australia, Yorke Peninsula
Penguin Point, Marion Bay, South Australia
Last weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to have a short holiday on Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia. We stayed in a holiday unit in Edithburgh, a popular seaside town near the southern end of the peninsula. It had been quite a few years since our last visit so we eagerly anticipated seeing the rugged coastal scenery. I was looking forward to doing some birding and my wife was keen to reacquaint herself with the native flora of the region.
Sadly the weather conspired against us with bitterly cold wild gale force winds, scudding showers and overcast skies making birding and photography a challenge. Undeterred we soldiered on, having made the booking of the unit. Despite the restrictions caused by the weather we still had a great time, I saw a few good birds and my wife got all excited about the plants and flowers she was seeing. Over the coming few days I will share some of our sightings and the photos I took.
By the way, the caption on the photograph above was taken at Penguin Point at Marion Bay. I didn’t see any penguins, though Little Penguins have been recorded in the area.
Emu at Adelaide Zoo
Emu at Adelaide Zoo
One of the most recognisable of Australian birds would have to be the Emu, shown in the photos here on this post. These photos were taken recently on a visit to my home zoo in Adelaide, some 50 minutes drive from where I live.
This large bird, standing from 1.5 to 2 metres high, is found over most of mainland Australia. They became extinct on the island of Tasmania in the 19th century. While it ranges over most of mainland Australia, its current distribution can be patchy, especially in closely settled areas and regions of intensive farming. It can still be found in good numbers in pastoral lands, forested areas and national parks. In Western Australia the species is migratory, moving towards coastal areas after breeding. They female lays 5 -12 large, dark green eggs on the ground which the male incubates and then cares for the young for up to a year and a half.
Emu eggs at Adelaide Zoo
Emu at Adelaide Zoo
Flowers at the Adelaide Zoo
Flowers at the Adelaide Zoo
Most people go to the zoo to look at the animals, birds and reptiles. I’m the same, but I must admit I also keep an eye out for plants and flowers which are growing in the grounds of the zoo. Adelaide Zoo is one of the zoos which has made a great effort to landscape the grounds with plenty of plants, especially Australian native species. On this visit I went without my wife, so I took a few photos so that she could see what was there and flowering. You can read about her interest in growing Australian native plants on her site here.
In addition to the Australian plant species at Adelaide Zoo, the gardeners have also planted many exotic plants in the enclosures of non-Australian animals, creating for them as natural an environment as possible given the severe restrictions on space. I think that overall the gardeners have achieved their aim.
The photos featured on this post are along the paths and purely decorative for the human visitors, though the local native birds such as the honeyeaters appreciate their plantings.
Flowers at the Adelaide Zoo
Flowers at the Adelaide Zoo
Birds of Burra Gorge, South Australia
Galah at Burra Gorge, mid north of South Australia
Burra Gorge in the mid north of South Australia is an interesting location for birding. This gorge marks the boundary between the hills further west and the dry plains to the east. It is therefore a transitional zone between the birds of the wetter parts to the west, especially around the Clare Valley about 40km away, and flora and fauna of the saltbush plains immediately to the east.
On my most recent visit last spring, the bird life was not very prominent because it was midday on a rather warm day. It would be good to camp here for several days because I believe I’d get quite a good list of birds, especially first thing in the morning. Several Galahs looked like they were preparing to breed because they were investigating hollows in some of the trees in the picnic ground.
Nearby an Australian Magpie was already sitting on a nest and others were feeding recently fledged young begging to be fed.
Magpie on nest at Burra Gorge, mid north of South Australia
Burra Gorge, mid north of South Australia
Burra Gorge, mid north of South Australia
Birding while having lunch
Yellow Rosella, Balranald, NSW
Whenever we travel, we try to pick suitable places for meal breaks. For us, suitable places are not shopping malls, places with crowds of people and busy locations. We prefer quiet, natural spots where I can do some birding while we have lunch or a cuppa.
On our way home from Sydney last year we stopped for lunch on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River in Balranald, far south western New South Wales. While we ate I managed a few photos of the local birds, including the Yellow Rosella shown above. This rosella is a sub species of the common Crimson Rosella usually seen much further east. For a better photo click here.
A Laughing Kookaburra also came near for a look at what we were doing, but I was unable to get a close shot before he flew off downstream. For better photos click here.
Laughing Kookaburra, Balranald, NSW